1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a television broadcast receiving system for receiving television broadcasting signals such as of digital satellite broadcasting service.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, broadcasting services under new broadcasting systems such as analog and digital broadcasting systems using geostationary satellites are available, and are finding spearing use in addition to conventional broadcasting services relying on ground waves.
For instance, a geostationary satellite digital broadcasting system employs data compression technique such as MPEG for compressing data of a plurality of television broadcasting programs, and sends the compressed data of plural programs by multiplexing these data on a single carrier wave, thus offering television broadcasting service in a way that is different from that for the conventional television broadcasting services employing ground waves.
The digital broadcasting service can also supply users with various kinds of digital data such as game programs and contents information described by MHEG (Multimedia and Hypermedia Information Coding Experts Group), by inserting such digital data into broadcast signals and broadcasting the signals together with these data.
Thus, new types of services are recently offered in which various kinds of data are furnished through a digital television broadcasting system using geostationary satellite (referred to simply as xe2x80x9cdigital television broadcastingxe2x80x9d, hereinafter), in addition to ordinary television broad casting programs. In order that the user can enjoy such a new type of service, the receiving system has to be equipped with a function for enabling the use of various kinds of data furnished by the broadcasting service.
Such a function, however, is not needed by users who do not with to utilize various kinds of data supplied in addition to the ordinary broadcasting program signals. Provision of the function for enabling use of such additional data undesirably raises the cost of the television receiver, thus heavily burdening the potential users.
It is reasonable to consider that introduction of new technologies will bring about novel services that could not be rendered heretofore. Since the nature and fashion of such future novel service are still unknown, it is impossible to modify the existing digital television broadcast receivers in such a way as to adapt them to such new type of services.
When such a new service is commenced in the future, the users, if wish to enjoy the new service, will be obliged to take burden of purchasing new receivers that are adapted to cope with such a new service, while disposing of the old receivers wastefully.
The present invention provides a television broadcast receiving system that can versatility adapt itself to new services which will be rendered in the future and new fashion of use of television broadcasting that will become available in the future.
According to the present invention, there is provided a television receiver apparatus, comprising: a connector for connecting an external memory to the receiver apparatus; an interface circuit for enabling taking up of information from the external memory connected through the connector; and a control circuit for processing information taken up from the external memory through the interface circuit to enable use of the information.
In accordance with these features, the external memory is connected to the receiver apparatus through the connector, so that the information stored in the external memory is read through the interface circuit. The information read from the external memory is then processed by the control circuit so as to be subjected to use.
By reading the information stored in the external memory and conducting processings corresponding to the read information, it is possible to use the read information itself or to execute a new function based on the information read from the external memory.
The arrangement may be such that the control circuit is enabled to execute a new function, based on the information taken up from the external memory connected to the connector.
With this feature, the receiver apparatus can execute a new function which otherwise could not be implemented, by virtue of the use of the information read from the external memory.
It is thus possible to add a new function by processing information read from the external memory. For instance, an existing receiver apparatus can easily be adapted to a new service offered by a television broadcasting service, without requiring substantial investment.
The information taken up from the external memory may be video data or audio data. The video data or the audio data taken up from the external memory is subjected to a reproducing processing under the control of the control circuit, whereby an image corresponding to the video data is displayed on a display device or the sound corresponding to the audio data is reproduced.
In accordance with these features, the external memory connected to the receiver apparatus through the connector stores video or audio data. These data are taken up through the interface circuit and are subjected to reproduction processing under the control of the control circuit.
With these features, it is possible to reproduce image or sound information from the video or audio data that has been recorded in the external memory by means of an external device such as a digital still camera, whereby the user can enjoy the image or the sound.
The information taken up from the external memory may comprise, in addition to the video or audio data, information for enabling reproduction from the video data or audio data. In such a case, the control circuit performs a control operation including: taking up the information for enabling reproduction from the video data or the audio data prior to the taking up of the video data or the audio data; and reproducing the image or the sound from the video data or the audio data by using the information for enabling reproduction.
More specifically, the external memory may store, for example, video or audio data compressed in a predetermined compression technique. In such a case, information for enabling production from the video or audio data, such as a decompression program corresponding to the compression technique, is stored in the external memory together with the compressed video or audio data.
Prior to the reading of the compressed video or audio data, the control circuit reads and processes the information to be used for the reproduction of image or sound from the video or audio data, thereby enabling the function for reproduction from the video or audio data. The video or audio data is then read from the external memory and is processed by the enabled reproducing function.
Thus, the reproducing function for reproduction from the video or audio data to be read from the external memory is enabled prior to the reading of the video or audio data. Thus, even if the receiver apparatus is not initially equipped with the function for reading and processing video or audio data, such a function is additionally implemented by the information read from the external memory, so that the receiver apparatus can read and process such video or audio data.
The information taken up from the external memory may comprise information for setting up means for extracting data inserted in broadcast signals. In this case, the control circuit performs a control operation to enable a processing for extracting the data inserted in the broadcast signals by using the information taken up from the external memory.
In accordance with these features, a function for extracting data inserted in broadcast signals can be additionally implemented by using information read from the external memory.
This additional function makes it possible to extract and use data such as contents information inserted in the broadcast signals.
The television receiver apparatus may further comprise an additional connector for connection of another external memory or an external device. In this case, the control circuit performs a control operation to enable transfer of the information from the external memory to the another external memory or to the external device via the additional connector.
Thus, the information read from the external memory can be transferred to another external memory or to an external device, by the operation of the control circuit.
This feature enables the information stored in the external memory to be recorded in another external memory or in a different recording medium via an external device. This contributes to enhancement of environmental condition for the use of digital data, thus allowing more effective and wider use of a variety of types of digital devices.
The control circuit may perform a control operation including: enabling a display section to display the contents of the information taken up from the external memory; and enabling the transfer to the another external memory or to the external device of only selected data selected in accordance with a selection instruction given by the user out of the data constituting the information.
In accordance with these features, the control circuit enables an at-a-glance display indicative of the contents of information stored in the external memory. For instance, an at-a-glance list of a plurality of data stored in the external memory is displayed to enable the user to select specific data. Only the selected data is transferred to another external memory or to an external device.
It is thus possible to select data out of a plurality of data stored in the external memory, and to transmit only the selected data to another external memory or external device for the storage purpose. Since another external memory or the storage medium associated with an external device is required to store only digital data that are designated as being necessary, whereby the necessary data can be handled in a neat manner and administrated in an efficient manner.
The information taken up from the external memory may comprise one or more frames of still video images. In this case, the control circuit performs a control operation including; enabling the information from aid external memory to cause the display section to display images formed by the still video data; and enabling the transfer to the another external memory or to the external device of only selected video data selected in accordance with a selection instruction given by the user.
In accordance with these features, the control circuit enables the images formed by the video data read from the external memory to be displayed on the display section, and only the video data corresponding to the images selected by the user from among the displayed images are transferred to another external memory or an external device.
It is therefore possible to select still video data corresponding to required still images, from among a plurality of still video data recorded in the external memory by, for example, a digital still camera. The selected video data are transferred to another external memory or an external device so as to be edited in such another external memory or in a storage medium associated with the external device, whereby a so-called electronic album is formed.